


ain't no devil, just a demon

by isthismydesign



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: Coming Out, Demon Shane Madej, Demon!Shane, Demons, M/M, as a demon, no beta we die like men, shane is a bit of a dumbass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26435989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isthismydesign/pseuds/isthismydesign
Summary: So, yeah, Shane’s a demon, big deal. But Shane really wants to tell Ryan what he is, he even went to the higher ups for permission and everything! And even though Shane has known Ryan for literal years now, he still has no idea how the little guy would react. Shockingly, Googling “How to come out as a demon to your best friend” didn’t result in any useful information. And Shane was about to give up and admit defeat until a brilliantly horrible idea popped into his head, and Shane is nothing if not known for those!Or in which Shane decides that by reading Demon Shane fanfics he will be able to figure out how one Ryan Bergara will react to his demonic heritage. And if Shane realizes that he’s in love with Ryan along the way, well, oops!
Relationships: Ryan Bergara & Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 41
Kudos: 118





	1. A Letter, A Failed Plan, And A Much Better Plan B

**Author's Note:**

> i got the inspiration to write finally, and i might have come up with this on the spot??  
> anyway, god fuckin knows when i'll update this, hopefully soon cause i had fun with it lol
> 
> hope you enjoy!  
> x Gray

When Shane arrived home from filming that day, he was delighted to find that the package had finally arrived, even if he wondered how US Postal Service was chill with shipping things from Hell, Earth. He absently made a note to ask someone Down Under if taking control of the Postal Service was in the cards, because of course it would take months for some simple Statue of Secrecy paperwork to arrive, along with a very terse letter from Shane’s boss. After feeding Obi and getting a cup of coffee because, fuck it, Shane broke the blood red seal on the envelope and read his boss’ letter.

_Shax, First Duke of Hell  
The paperwork you make me go through is so shitty you’re lucky I like you so much, otherwise I’d just drag your ass back to His Majesty’s Kingdom. Unfortunately, I do like you enough to put up with Abbadon barging into my office with paperwork all day. You owe me some extra contracts this year, I swear.  
You know the drill. Fill out and sign everything with your DEMON name, none of the “Shane” bullshit. Make sure your boy toy signs wherever the “Mortal’s” name is asked for. We need it back soon, you know how much punctuality matters in Hell. If your boy can’t handle it, you know what to do. Don’t take any chances, just kill him and get back down here, Human Disposal Services will take care of the rest. You’ve never had a problem with it in the past, but this toy is making you soft, so I’ll remind you.  
You will know when the paperwork goes through, and the Licensed Protected Mortal card will arrive at his house within the week. Keep a close eye on him, though. You guys have pissed off so many demons it’s a wonder he’s still alive.  
Don’t you dare make this paperwork all for nothing, Shax.  
Baal, Archduke of Hell_

Huh, Shane had forgotten in his haste that if Ry-guy didn’t take the news well, he would have to kill him. He had done it before, with Sara in the 16th century, and Shane wasn’t in the mood to have a repeat of that. Ever. It was another two centuries before Shane began to poke around on Earth again, and if he ever went back to Israel it would be too soon, but Shane really should have seen it coming. Who knows how many centuries it would be before Shane could stand to visit Earth again if he had to kill Ryan.  
Which is why Shane needed a plan. It was the perfect time to tell him, now that Buzzfeed Unsolved was done and Shane didn’t need to worry about it affecting the show. Sure, he knew Ryan like the back of his hand and the rest of his body, but when it came to this, Shane needed to be absolutely certain of Ryan’s reaction. If Shane respected Ryan just a little bit less, he wouldn’t be above a little bit of mind reading. But Shane couldn’t do that to him! So he needed another plan to figure out how to tell him. What if he came out as pan and used that as a marker?? _Perfect!_

“Yeah man, it’s chill.”

“What.” This is not how Shane was expecting this conversation to go. He knew Ryan wouldn’t really care, but…

Ryan pouts, and Shane instantly feels bad. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be okay with it? Wow dude, I haven’t said ‘no homo’ unironically, or ironically, since like 2016.”

 _Fuck!!_ “No, that’s not what I meant! I mean I’m just never used to people being okay with it, so it usually throws me for a loop, that’s all. Every gay person works themselves into a bit of a tizzy about coming out, ya know?” _No, he doesn’t know, he’s not gay!! Goddamnit, Shane._ Shane laughs, and they both know it's a little bit weak, but Ryan gives him the courtesy of not calling him out on it. 

“Alright, but you know I accept you, dude. No matter what.” Ryan smiles at him, and Shane’s stomach does a funny little thing that Shane decided years ago he wouldn’t think too hard about. “Although if you tell me you’re a furry we are gonna have to end the company.”

That gets a laugh out of Shane, a real one, and Ryan’s smile grows. He knows Ryan won’t be nearly as chill about his species, but Shane forces that thought out of his mind in favor of mocking the movie Cats with Ryan. 

_That wasn't super helpful in Operation: Tell Ryan._ No one has come up with an answer on Google in the last 48 hours, so Shane is at a loss, having exhausted his two options. In the way only a truly desperate man would, Shane goes to the second page of the search results. And the third, and the fourth. After the ninth Shane is about to give up when he sees his own name, and demon right next to it. 

People online calling Shane isn’t a new thing, it’s been happening for years at this point, but he still gets a small stab of anxiety at the thought of his secret out there in the world for all to see. Shane clicks on the link, not reading much and thinking it will lead him to a funny Tumblr post. 

But that is not Tumblr, no not at all. It’s Archive of Our Own, and _how are there hundreds of these??_ Some of them don’t look very helpful _at all,_ but in almost all of them Shane’s demon-ness is a secret, until it isn't. _Which means that a Ryan reaction is in every single one of these!_ Surely at least a few of these will have a genuine reaction from Ryan! Shane continues not thinking of the consequences and decides that he might as well read as many of them as possible, to see how “he” would tell Ryan, and see Ryan’s reaction. 

Shane gets another cup of coffee, his fifth cup of the day, but _shut up, he’s a demon, it’s not like his teeth are gonna rot or something._ He hits shuffle on a playlist of songs that Ryan’s never heard of and settles in for a fun night of laughing at cringy writing.


	2. Plan B Didn’t Work Out, So Let’s Hit Pause And Visit A Very Wise Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's visit Randy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **shameless self promotion, feel free to skip**
> 
> hey there!! one quick note before this chapter, and its that i've written a short Ryan/Shane fic based off of taylor swift's "the 1"  
> i spent a lot of time writing it and i would really appreciate if you could give it a read. and if you haven't already, theres one more Ryan/Shane fic i've written based off the crane wives' "curses" which is about Ricky and Tinsley! this fic is quickly becoming my "biggest" one but im suuuuper proud of my other works, and i think you would enjoy them.
> 
> thanks for reading this fic and any others that interest you!  
> x Gray

Okay so that writing wasn’t super cringy. As a matter of fact, some of it was very good, and some of it was downright poetic. And most of it included incredibly graphic sex, which made Shane a combination of tired, bitter, and worst of all, hard. 

One very cold shower later and Shane sat down in his living room and thought about how to spend his Saturday. He had the common sense to not spend the day reading fanfiction, it struck him as a nighttime activity to enjoy with coffee and maybe the occasional wine. There weren't many people, let alone demons, to discuss the situation with, but Shane wanted to talk to someone about his plight. But who… _oh! Why didn’t I think to visit the wisest man I know, sure, he’s really an angel, but he seemed chill the last time I visited him._

It’s a good thing that being the first duke of hell paid well, because otherwise Shane would go broke with all the Ubers and Lyfts he took. Buying a bottle of wine at 11 am on a Saturday wasn’t Shane’s finest moment, and he was pretty sure the cashier thought he was an alcoholic, but what kind of alcoholic is addicting to fucking $15 bottles of wine? It’s not like he was buying it for himself though, its an offering!! Another goddamn Uber later and Shane was strolling around Echo Park attempting to remember which way he should go to get to Randyland. But eventually Shane found his way to the mural and practically skipped up the stairs.

“Randy!!” Shane called, popping his head up into the garden. “I have wine and I really need to talk to you!” 

If the promise of Shane’s wonderful company wasn’t enough incentive to appear, a bottle of wine sure as fuck was. As soon as the word “wine” exited Shane’s mouth he heard a screen door open, and sure enough, it was Randy! In all of his beaming glory, most of it directed at the paper bag in Shane’s hand, but there was something for Shane too.

The full might of Randy’s smile finally arrived on Shane, and Randy slid into a pair of flip-flops as he rushed outside. “Shane! How are you and your fine tastes in alcohol doing?”

“I’ve been better!” Shane sang as he threw his body into a rickety plastic chair on the porch. “Listen, I’ve got a tinsy tiny problem that I could use your help with.” 

Ever since Ryan and Shane had visited Randy for Tourist Trapped, Shane had returned at least once a month to see him. After all, there weren’t many angels who could stand to be in the company of demons, let alone be kind to them. And, well, they were angels to be around. _Which made sense!_ Even if Randy always had a knowing glint in his eye whenever Shane saw him. 

“Well talk to me! If it’s anything like your other problems, it's certainly going to be funny.” Randy even took the bottle of wine and set it on a table, just to show his full attention was on Shane. 

Shane didn’t waste any time. “I’m going to tell Ryan that I’m a demon.”

Randy really didn’t need to look so surprised. “Well,” He laughed. “How do you intend to tell him that? Ryan won’t take it very well no matter how you tell him, I’m afraid.”

 _Well that will just not work!!_ “Randy have you forgotten that if Ryan doesn’t take the news well I have to kill him? He’s mortal, lets not forget, so killing him is so not in the cards.” Shane wouldn’t say he was whining, but yes he was. Sue him, he can do what he wants, he's the first duke of Hell.

Randy keeps smiling, which really isn’t helpful. “It’s how you handle his reaction that matters, Shane. You need to be kind, patient, and willing to let him be mad at you. I’ve seen that you are capable of all of those things. Don’t tell him that if you don’t reach an agreement you have to kill him, it won’t help. He will be mad at you, but he still cares for you.” That was a little bit more helpful.

“Oh. It makes sense when you put it that way. But what if he hates me? Like hates me, hates me. Even if he signs and he hates me, I can’t protect him like that! He could get himself killed!” Shane couldn’t help but fret. _This was a huge risk when Randy put it like that!_

Randy shrugs. “I guess it’s a chance you need to be willing to take, my friend. How about we split this bottle of wine and I’ll listen to you worry some more?” 

Shane would never turn down the opportunity to worry without being annoying. And he didn’t. A few hours later Shane's head was pleasantly buzzing as a Lyft arrived in front of Randyland to take him back to his apartment. When Shane arrived home he fed Obi again, and made himself some ramen while watching a WWII documentary. Soon the sky was properly dark and Shane could commence on his studies, wonderfully oblivious to the fact that Randy’s advice rendered his research unnecessary. But there was a 100k fanfic he had found, and he can’t just _not_ read it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoyed this next short installment!! i'll be playing around with povs soon but i NEED YOUR HELP!! comment some of your favorite ryan/shane fics or quotes from fics. keep the fics one chapter only cause i have to read them all, but they might be fearured in the coming chapters!!
> 
> thats all and i hope you enjoyed!  
> x Gray


	3. It’s Time To Actually Take Steven’s Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we check in with one Ryan Bergara! If you haven’t already, check out my other Ryan/Shane fics, they’re short but I think you’ll like them!
> 
> Also I thought you might enjoy a little nugget of information on Shane’s name! Stick around to the end of the chapter! READ THE NOTES THIS CHAPTER, THERES A LOT GOING ON THERE!
> 
> I changed my username in case you thought you clicked on the wrong fic. Please enjoy the latest installment of _ain’t no devil, just a demon_!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALSO!!! I am about to start production on a Puppet History fic, where Shane and the Professor travel back in time together, but I need your help with it. There are two ways I want to write this, and all you need to do is comment which one you like best!! PLEASE COMMENT, I WANT Y'ALL TO ENJOY THE FIC!
> 
> edit: i’m going with option two sorry
> 
> option one: the professor really is just a puppet, and shane spends way too much time explaining that _yes, he really is a puppet, no i don't know how to explain it, fuck off_
> 
> option two: the professor is human but doesn't exist in this time, he only joins shane on adventures, and shane created the puppet to mock the professors ideology that everyone is just 'puppets on a string.'

Shane was acting weird, and not normal levels of weird. ‘Cause Shane is a pretty weird dude, and Ryan will be the first to agree with you. But Shane wasn’t being his usual levels of weird, and at this point, Ryan was getting concerned. Ryan is normally a professional at reading his best friend, and he’s noticed that Shane is only acting funky with Ryan. Sure, every now and then Shane will shoot a weird look at Steven or TJ when he doesn’t think anyone is looking, but Ryan sure as fuck is.  
  
And Ryan has racked his brain trying to think of a reason why Shane would act this way. They haven’t argued, because they have nothing to argue about. Sure, Ryan’s breakup with Marielle was pretty sudden, but it still didn’t warrant this reaction. And Shane didn’t seem too shocked when Ryan told him in the first place.  
  
Ryan was so desperate that he went to Steven to ask for advice.  
  
“I don’t know dude, it started pretty suddenly like a week ago? He doesn’t seem mad or anything, just off. Have I changed since the breakup or something?” Ryan fretted as Steven locked up the office at the end of the workday.  
  
Steven finished locking up and turned around, thought for a second, and spoke. “You have only changed for the better in these past few weeks, Ryan.” Steven soothed him. “I definitely don’t think he’s mad at you, or upset over your breakup. He hasn’t confided in me concerning you, or anything else. Truthfully, I think it would be better to talk to him about it. It’s clearly nothing negative, so nothing bad can come of it. Your relationship will likely only benefit from it.”  
  
_As profound as usual, Steven._ But Ryan felt comforted nonetheless. Steven was right, as he always was. _Shane isn’t mad at me._ “Thanks Steven, I’ll try to talk to him about it, but maybe I won’t have to, ya know?”  
  
Steven shot him a look that said he didn’t believe him, but was too polite to say something. Steven clapped Ryan on the back as they parted ways. “I’ll dial up a few prayers, okay bud?”  
  
Ryan laughed and headed to his car. Heading home, he thought about Steven’s advice. _If Shane is still acting weird after the weekend, I’ll say something._ Feeling better after making a decision, Ryan ordered UberEats and spent the weekend working and watching movies.  
  


_______________________________

Come Monday morning Ryan couldn’t help but feel nervous. What if Shane was actually mad at him? So he was frazzled to say the least when he arrived at Watcher’s headquarters. As usual, only Steven had arrived before him, so Ryan had time to make a pot of coffee and relax. Ryan started feeling a bit better thanks to Steven’s help, but then Shane showed up.  
  
Shane looked like shit. There were bags under his eyes, and his hair wasn’t brushed. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that looked like it hadn’t been washed all weekend. Instantly, all of Ryan’s nerves disappeared, replaced with concern for his friend.  
  
“Oh my god dude, are you okay?” Ryan asked, about one second away from sending Shane home and possibly going with him.  
  
Shane looked at him for a while, long enough that Ryan wondered if Shane was even sober. There was a strange look in his friend’s eye, and Ryan couldn’t figure out what it was. Confusion was suddenly replaced with shock as Shane leapt forward and _hugged_ him.  
  
Ryan knew that Shane didn’t hug people a lot, didn’t even hug his family when they visited him. Physical touch and words of endearment weren’t a part of life in the Madej household. Ryan knew that actions spoke louder than words for Shane, even though Ryan was almost the exact opposite, it worked for them. Hence why Ryan was so confused.  
  
The hug lasted longer than probably any other Shane had ever given them, and when Shane finally pulled away Ryan was practically in a daze. “Hey, you okay dude?” Ryan tried to be gentle, even though he knew that Shane didn’t appreciate pity.  
  
So it spoke volumes that Shane simply smiled and nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine. I just had a scary car ride, shook me up a little, sorry.”  
  
Damn, it wasn’t what Ryan was expecting, and he pressed a little bit more. “Are you sure? You’ve been acting kinda off for a while now, and it’s starting to worry me.” Ryan confessed, hoping that Shane wouldn’t mock him for worrying.  
  
Shane tilted his head and waited a moment before talking. “I’m sorry Ryan, I didn’t think you would notice-”  
  
“Of course I would notice you moping around and looking at me funny.” He chided. “I’m not blind, Shane.”  
  
“I know that,” Shane rushed. “I do, and I’m sorry about that too. I just-” Paused, thought, sighed. “I just, I read some stupid tweet a few weeks ago and it messed me up a little. I know it’s dumb, but - fuck. It just fucking theorized what I would do with the show if you died and who the fuck tweets something like that? It threw me for a loop and I couldn’t get it out of my head.”  
  
Shane looked uncomfortable, and no doubt he was, with his midwestern repressed ass never learning to be open with his feelings. All Ryan wanted to do was comfort him, thank him for being honest when he could have just shrugged it off.  
  
“Shane, I’m not dying any time soon, there’s no need to worry. Fuck whoever thought it would be a good idea to tweet that shit.”  
  
Shane smiled. “I know that little guy. I’m over it, I promise. I spent the weekend watching Lord of the Rings again, s’why I’m tired as shit right now. Did you make coffee?”  
  
Ryan didn’t think too hard about why he wished they could have had a more serious conversation, he just teased Shane for not knowing how to sleep as he poured him a cup of coffee.  
  
Shane still seemed somewhat off, but they both said it was a lack of sleep and left it at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FRESH FACTS ABOUT SHANE'S DEMON NAME
> 
> So Shane’s demon name is Shax, which is a real demon from Christianity. Shax is a “Great Marquis” of Hell, which is below Princes, Dukes, and Kings of Hell, in that order. Some people consider him to be a Duke instead of a Great Marquis, which is what I’m using because more people know what a Duke is vs a Great Marquis. Baal is also a real demon, and Wikipedia says that he is a King of Hell, but I changed his title to Archduke. In my mind Baal is two or maybe one rank below Lucifer, and Shane is one rank below Baal. If Baal was to be killed or fired, Shane is first in line to take his place.
> 
> The website I used to research Shax mentioned his voice to be deep and slightly hoarse, but also beautiful, which I thought kinda fit Shane.
> 
> Shax has over 30 legions of demons on horseback under his command, and is a bit of a red robin hood, he is said to steal money from mortal kings and return it to the people. He will steal anything the exorcist asks.
> 
> “Shax is thought to be faithful and obedient, but is a great liar and will deceive the conjurer unless obliged to enter a magic triangle drawn on the floor. He will then speak marvelously and tell the truth. He knows when lies are told and uses these to teach lessons.”
> 
> FUN FRESH FACTS ENDED
> 
> I don’t know how many demons will appear in this story, but I’ll almost always have a bit at the end of the chapter to explain anything significant.
> 
> Next chapter we return to Shane’s POV, and he will be going to Hell in the next chapter or two!
> 
> Again, PLEASE comment which fic idea you liked from the beginning notes! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> x Gray


End file.
